Hold On, We're Going Home
by apathyempathy
Summary: Protecting Kenzi comes at a cost, one Tamsin will always be willing to pay. Tamsin/Kenzi friendship, hints of Valkubus. And a cameo by Lauren.


Tamsin bit back a scream as she felt the full force of the Hadhayosh's fist slam into her stomach, her body doubling over as she tried to remain on her feet. She wasn't fast enough to avoid the next blow though and she felt a flash of white hot pain sear across her cheek as the creature's knuckles collided with her face, burning her skin as she was sent tumbling backwards to the ground yet again. She managed to roll away just in time to avoid the heavy stamp aimed for her head, and scrambling to her feet she used the wall of the abandoned factory to support most of her weight as she hurried to summon her own powers, not liking the advantage she was giving her opponent. Just as she felt her eyes begin to darken the Hadhayosh was in front of her, its massive frame dwarfing her so much that she had to crane her neck to see its face, her mouth twisting into a grimace at the enormous horns protruding from its head. There was no way in hell she was going to let herself be on the receiving end of those.

"Look out!"

She heard Kenzi's warning but was too slow to react, her breath leaving her lungs in a stuttered gasp as she felt the creature wrap one of its enormous hands around her throat, her skin instantly blistering under the intense heat. She kicked her legs out in an attempt to do any kind of damage, her hands clawing at the arm that was now holding her mid-air, as she fought to breathe.

The Hadhayosh lifted her higher, its grip tightening on her throat to the point that she thought her windpipe would be crushed, her eyes began to flutter closed against the little black dots appearing across her vision and she could hear herself choking for air. The sound of something hitting against flesh forced Tamsin to open her eyes, her gaze instantly falling on the tiny human who in a desperate attempt to help had thrown what looked to be a brick at the Hadhayosh's head.

"Let her go," Kenzi screamed her voice dropping as she muttered to herself. "Where the hell are you Bo?"

Tamsin growled, her heart pounding in her chest as she saw the way he looked at her friend, his eyes gleaming at the prospect of devouring both a human and a Valkyrie. Like a second burst of energy her need to protect Kenzi kick-started her own survival instinct, she was not about to let her friend die like this. Using her left hand she grabbed hold of the Hadhayosh's wrist as she brought her other palm up and hit as hard as she could against his elbow, she felt a satisfying crunch as the force her attack broke both his hold on her, and his elbow. As she dropped to the floor she managed to roll to one-side, and before the enemy had time to regroup she dodged around him and crawled over to Kenzi as quickly as her beaten body would allow her to.

"Are you okay?" Her eyes scanned the other girl for any sign of injury.

Kenzi's eyes bulged at the question, her arms waving around erratically as she gestured to Tamsin. "Am _I_ okay? Me? Look at-"

"I'm taking that as a yes," Tamsin interrupted, she threw a quick glance over her shoulder and saw the Hadhayosh cradling it's now broken arm. She barely had time to think that they needed to get the hell out away from it, before she saw it turn, anger blazing in its eyes. "Okay, that's going to be a problem."

Kenzi nodded as she instinctively hid herself behind Tamsin, who had managed to stand and place herself as a shield between the human and the fae. "Now would be an awesome time to break out your crazy skeletor-face and you know… do whatever it is you do."

Tamsin grimaced, she barely had enough energy left to stay on her feet but she refused to let Kenzi see how badly she was hurt, she needed the human to trust her if her plan had any chance of working. "Listen to me," she said quietly, her eyes tracking the Hadhayosh as it began to edge towards them, "I need you to run, as fast as you can in those ridiculously inappropriate heels, don't stop and do not look back for any reason."

"No," Kenzi said as she took a step backwards, her feet moving in time with Tamsin's as they tried to keep some distance between themselves and the fae, "I'm not abandoning you here with that thing, especially not if the last thing you say to me contains an insult about my, quite frankly, fabulous shoes."

"It wasn't a request," said Tamsin through clenched teeth, her voice shaking a little as she tried to ignore the pain coursing through her. "This thing is fast, okay? We can't outrun it but I can buy you some time."

"Tam-"

"We don't have time to discuss this," Tamsin shouted, losing her patience as she gave into the pain. Her shout echoed around them, her desperate plea stunning the other woman. "Please, I won't let that thing hurt you."

"And I'm what, supposed to skip out of here while you get your ass handed to you?"

" Go." A loud roar drowned out the rest of Tamsin's response, and turning to Kenzi she gave the girl a hard shove, urging her to run. She watch her stumble at first, her eyes seemingly refusing to look away but under Tamsin's urging to finally turned and started to run.

The Hadhayosh took advantage of his opponent's lack of focus, and ducking his head he charged the short distance between them, his horns aimed squared for her chest. Tamsin barely had time to dodge out of his way, and as she threw herself to one side she felt the beast collide with leg. It was enough to push her off balance, sending her crashing to the ground in a heap, a scream wrenching itself from her throat as her knee hit something hard. Pulling herself to her hands and knees she almost let out a cry of relief as she saw what she had landed on. Tamsin forced herself to her feet, knowing the Hadhayosh would be returning for another attack. She was right; the moment she looked up she saw the creature charging towards her once more. This time she waited until the last minute before side-stepping its attack, and as it came within her reach she swung her arm out and brought down the brick as hard as she could against its head. She heard a satisfying crunch as her makeshift weapon connected, sending the beast tumbling to the floor in surprise. She knew she had only brought herself a few minutes but it was enough. Tossing the brick with all the strength she had left she heaved it at its skull.

She didn't wait to see the damage though, turning she started to run in the same direction she had pushed Kenzi, her eyes searching the empty streets for any sign of any life. There was no one. Her legs felt like dead weight, her knee throbbed painfully with each step, but dragging her body forwards she slid her jacket off and let it fall to the ground, the sound of her shirt ripping filled the air as her wings broke through her skin, spreading out around her. She took two more steps before she let her body lift from the ground, the pain in her leg instantly easing. It went against every instinct she had to flee a fight, but she knew if she couldn't take down the Hadhayosh, then after her it would find Kenzi and she would not be responsible for yet another person's death; especially not Kenzi's.

Moving as quickly as she could she scanned the seemingly deserted industrial estate for any sign of the human, and just as her eyes found the girl she heard the undeniable sound of feet pounding against the ground and glancing behind her she saw the Hadhayosh charging along the street beneath her. She felt a wave of panic as she swooped down, only marginally ahead of the creature, and willed her wings to beat faster as she propelled herself forward.

She focused her eyes on Kenzi, thinking of nothing else, and gritted her teeth.

Kenzi stumbled as she heard a sudden noise behind her, and twisting to look over her shoulder she screamed as she saw the Hadhayosh running straight for her. Her legs seem to freeze, fear paralysing her mid-step, and sending her to the ground. She braced herself for the pain, eyes screwed tightly shut as if she could hide herself from the inevitable. Which never came. She screamed as she felt two arms wrap around her and lift her to her feet, feet which should have touched the ground. Instead, as she slowly opened her eyes she saw herself dangling over the earth, her legs wiggling back and forth as though she was running in mid-air.

"What the Mary Poppins-"

Tamsin grunted as she struggled to hold on to Kenzi, her arms wrapped under the smaller girls armpits and clasped around her chest. It wasn't exactly the best position and with every shake she felt like she was going to drop her. "For god sake, stop moving."

Kenzi froze mid-wiggle, her body suddenly tense as she realised what was happening. "Holy shitballs. We're flying… we're freaking flying."

"No," Tamsin said forcing herself to try and sound relaxed even as she was fighting to remain conscious, "I'm flying. You are merely a passenger on Tamsin-Airways. And no, I don't have any peanuts." Adjusting her hold on the smaller girl she tried to laugh, but her trademark smirk died on her lips as her chest contorted in pain.

"Tam-Tam… should I be bracing myself for a crash landing?" Kenzi asked as she tilted her head back and tried unsuccessfully to look at her friend. "Because I did not pack my-… Wait, look… I can see Bo's car. And Bo." Pointing with her leg, because there was no way in hell she was about to let go of her hold on Tamsin's arms, she began to shout. "Bo-Bo, up here!" She had never been so glad to see the rusty yellow convertible; she didn't even care that she could see Lauren leaning against the hood probably flirting with the succubus while they were fleeing for their lives. "Hey! A little help?"

"What the…"

As much as she would have liked to, Tamsin didn't have time to enjoy the shocked expression on the doctor's face, instead she did her best to land as softly as she could so not to hurt Kenzi. As soon as she felt Kenzi's feet touch the ground she relaxed her firm grip, and while she managed to keep the other woman on her feet, she didn't fare as well. As soon as her own feet hit the ground she knew she wasn't going to be able to stand, and as she let go of Kenzi she lost her only means of support, and with no strength of her own left she stumbled forward a few places before she sank to the floor with a whimper she prayed no one else heard.

"Holy shit-cicles," Kenzi said, pushing Lauren out of the way none too gently and rushing to kneel at her friend's side, "Lil T, what the hell did you do?"

Tamsin couldn't help but smile at the nickname, as irritating as it was every time she heard the name it reminded her that she was different in this lifetime. That she had changed. "Took the scenic route…" Struggling to sit up, she let Kenzi support her as Bo and Lauren hurried over. She didn't give them a chance to say anything though. "It's right behind us, the Hadhayosh, I couldn't-" Trying to stand up Tamsin let out a scream of pain, and sunk back down her eyes glazing over as she muttered, "Trick was wrong, those things work in packs."

"They just kept coming," Kenzi added as she looked to Bo, fear evident in her eyes. "First one then another and another…"

Tamsin groaned in agreement, she could still feel the sting of the first hit that had caught her square on her jaw, even if it was now competing with all the other hits she hadn't been able to dodge. Trick had been so confident that these creatures were solitary that none of them had even considered the idea of a pack of the damn things. "I swear, if I wasn't out of lives I would promise to come back and use at least one cycle just to tell Trick what a complete and utter-"

"Do not talk like that," Bo said as she looked at the Valkyrie, her eyes filled with determination and something else that Tamsin wasn't ready to deal with. "No one is dying-" A loud roar silenced Bo, and the group turned to see the last Hadhayosh towered over them, one of its hands gripping its head as a stream of blood cascaded down its face. "Oh shit." Bo knew they didn't have much time, so springing to her feet she analysed her limited options. "Lauren look after Tamsin-"

"You've got to be kidding me." The Valkyrie groaned under her breath.

"-Kenzi, I'm going to need some weaponry. Something tells me I do not what to get up close and personal with this guy."

Kenzi hesitated, her eyes flicking between Lauren and Tamsin. She didn't want to leave the other woman's side, she was too afraid that if she did then by the time she got back it would be too late and she wouldn't have the chance to tell Tamsin all the overly-sentimental crap that they both tried to steer well clear of. "Don't die," said Kenzi eventually, her lower lip trembling as she tried to push that particularly horrific thought from her head.

"I'll take care of her," Lauren said with a reassuring smile as she saw the way the other woman's eyes had started to water, she had never given much to thought to how much Kenzi's feelings towards Tamsin had changed, and it felt surreal to see it now and to realise how much she had missed.

The feeling of Kenzi's hand slipping away from hers took the last of Tamsin's strength. She desperately wanted to help her friends, and she willed her body to get up and fight but instead she felt herself crumble to the ground, her back hitting the dirt slowly as Lauren reacted fast enough to catch her and ease her down. "It's okay," Tamsin said, the sounds of a fight echoing around them, she looked up at the worried face above hers, "Go."

"Are you kidding me?" said Lauren as she ripped the sleeve of her jacket off and pressed it against a particularly nasty cut. "If I let anything happen to you I'm pretty sure I'll find myself hunted down by the Russian mafia. And that's only in the unlikely circumstance that Bo doesn't catch me first."

Tamsin shook her head, her laugh turning to a choked cough. "Bo wouldn't do that, she loves you."

"She does." Lauren smiled sadly as she looked down, her eyes meeting Tamsin's. "And she loves you too."

Not wanting to let the other woman see the impact her words had, Tamsin averted her eyes, her own sad smile matching the doctors. "Wow, people really will say anything to a girl on her deathbed, huh?"

"You are not on your deathbed."

She hissed as she felt Lauren inspect the blistered skin covering her neck. "Doubt is kind of my thing Doc, well that and death, and right now… we both know how this is going to end." She looked up at the sky, her eyes following the slow movement of the clouds as they floated above her and she wondered if she had done enough to fix all the wrong she had done in her previous lives, or if her soul had never been salvageable.

"No, no… Tamsin, damn it, do not close your eyes," Lauren said, her voice rising to a shout as she saw the woman's eyelids start to flutter shut. Looking over her shoulder she saw Bo duck under the Hadhayosh's outstretched fist, a sword gripped tightly in her own as Kenzi tried to distract the creature. "Come on, Bo." Lifting her hand to the Valkyrie's cheek she hesitated, before gently slapping her, her hand then softly shaking her by the chin as she tried to wake the other woman.

With a low moan Tamsin forced her eyes open. "You did not just slap me."

"Yes, I did," she replied with a relieved laugh as she looked down at the scowling Valkyrie. "But I'll make you a deal; you don't die on me and I won't be forced to slap your pretty little face back into consciousness."

Despite the pain, Tamsin managed to force her mouth into a grin. "You think I'm pretty, huh?"

"That is what you're choosing to focus on?" Lauren said, her worried frown easing to a smile as she played along, desperate to distract Tamsin from her injuries. "I should have known."

"Would you rather I clung to the fact you just hit me?"

Adjusting her make-shift bandage against the deep wound on her stomach Lauren tried to ignore the grunt of pain her actions received as she pressed down harder trying to stop to flow of blood. She bit her lip as she tried not to think about how much blood the other woman was losing. "It was a tap, a gentle and might I add, life-saving, tap."

"Yeah, yeah… hit a woman while she's down."

Lauren rolled her eyes. "I don't think-"

"Doc! I think we might need your help over here…"

Lauren felt her heart sink as she heard Kenzi call out to her and looking up from Tamsin she was met with the sight of the smaller woman trying to hold Bo up as they stepped around the corpse of what had been the Hadhayosh, its now severed head lying a few feet away from its body. She could see blood pouring from a cut above the succubus's eye and as the two women came to a stop, and Kenzi eased her friend to the ground by the Valkyries side, the doctor tried to keep the panic from her face. She needed Bo to heal Tamsin but right now it looked a lot like Bo needed healing of her own.

"I'm fine," said Bo as she crawled the short distance over to where Tamsin was trying unsuccessfully to sit up, her eyebrows knitted together in concern. "Really… I just need to-" She groaned as she felt blood dripping from her face and down onto her shirt, her head was pounding and she could feel herself wobbling from side to side but she refused to give in. She looked to Lauren, her breath coming in uneven gasps. "Help me get her up."

"You can't," Tamsin said as she fought against Lauren's hold, even in her weakened state she understood what Bo was trying to do. She could see how weak the succubus was and even as she let Bo reach out and cup her cheek she knew the other woman didn't have the strength to save her. "Bo, you can't."

Bo felt her breath catch in her throat, choking her as her eyes met Tamsins. The acceptance she found there making her blood run cold. "Yes, I-I…"

Tamsin shook her head slowly, a smile gracing her lips as she felt Bo caress the soft skin of her cheek with her thumb. She was no stranger to death. She had died time and time again, but still knowing this was her ultimate life, and her final goodbye, still struck fear into her. Her mind was full of all the things that were going to go unfinished, and yet the single thought that hit the hardest was that for all her many deaths, at least this time she wasn't alone and she had time to say her goodbyes.

"I am not letting you go." Tears feel freely down Bo's cheeks, "I can't, I feel like I only just found you…"

"Bo-"

"Okay. See, no." Kenzi's voice suddenly burst through their moment, and Tamsins eyes widened as she watched the human reach out and forcefully remove Bo's hand from her cheek and carefully spin the succubus to look at her. Gesturing between the two fae she continued, "This? This is so not happening."

For a moment Tamsin wondered what the hell the girl was talking about, if she was suddenly deciding that whatever moment she and Bo were sharing was inappropriate, and the flash of hurt that rushed through her was enough to rival her physical pain. It only lasted a moment though as she watched in total shock as Kenzi lunged forward and kissed Bo, her hands fiercely gripping both sides of Bo's head as she planted her lips on her friend's.

"What the hell?" Shoving her friend off of her, Bo raised her fingers to her lips in shock.

"I may not be a delicious fae-snack, and I have absolutely no intentions of taking you in the back seat of your car and rocking your world," said Kenzi with anger blazing in her eyes, "But you are going to feed right now, from me, and then you are going to save her." Pointing to Tamsin she didn't even try and hide her tears. "Because I will not watch someone I love die."

Bo blinked but had no chance to reply before she felt Kenzi's lips on hers again with a determination she had never encountered from her best friend. Her need to heal was strong and pulling back slightly she began to suck the chi from the human until a familiar warmth began to fill her core. She felt her own wounds begin to ease, the blood from the wound of her head slowly and finally stopping.

"This is so not how I imagined my ultimate death to go," Tamsin said as she watched in disbelief as Kenzi willingly offered her chi to the succubus in an effort to save her life. The joking smile slipped from her lips as she processed the shocking realisation that the other woman was giving her own life-essence to save her life, the word _love_ echoing around her head. She had never mattered enough to anyone, in any of her many lives, to have them do something so selfless for her. She felt her heart swell, and blinking back sudden tears she tried to play it off. "Holy crap. Bo, stop kissing my this-life Mom."

Bo gasped as she pulled away from Kenzi, her eyes searching her friends to make sure she was okay. The urge to continue feeding was intense, but she knew if she took any more that it would hurt the other woman, no matter how much she wanted to give.

Kenzi wobbled a little bit before shaking her head to clear the effects of the succubus's kiss. "Hot damn," she muttered as she sat back on her heels with a dazed look on her face.

Lauren opened her mouth to speak but one look at Bo's face answered her question. She could read the worried lines wrinkling her former girlfriend's forehead and she knew. She paused for a moment, before glancing down at Tamsin with an apologetic smile, knowing that this was probably not something the Valkyrie wanted to see. "It's for your own good."

Tamsin didn't have time to question the doctor before Lauren leant over her, and with one hand steadying her body, she copied Kenzi's actions and brought her own lips to Bo's. Bo yelped in surprise, her hands hanging limply at the side as she let Lauren take control of the kiss. She didn't hesitate this time and immediately pulling back she took the chi Lauren offered.

"What is happening?" said Tamsin as she averted her eyes from the two women making out over her increasingly lifeless body.

With a goofy smile still plastered to her lips Kenzi answered, "Like you're dying wish wasn't to watch hot chicks make out."

Opting not to point out how little she wanted to have to watch anyone that wasn't her kiss Bo, particularly an ex-girlfriend and the human she had referred to as Moms, Tamsin merely grunted, her other witty remarks simply too much effort to utter. As she watched the two women break apart, she didn't miss the lingering look Lauren gave Bo, the doctor's hand slowly and reluctantly leaving the other woman's cheek.

"Well…" Bo said eventually, looking down at Tamsin and clearing her throat awkwardly. "That should do it."

Tamsin watched with wide eyes as Bo knelt over her, the succubus's body hovering over her own. She could felt the warm radiating from the other woman, and as she let her eyes drift shut she smiled as Bo placed her lips on hers and kissed her. She gasped as she felt Bo pull away, part of her wanted to keep Bo against her even though she knew she had to feed from Bo to save her own life, she craved the feeling of the other woman's body against hers. She groaned as the first wave of chi began to flow into her, the warmth settling in her core before spreading to her limbs, her pain vanishing with every passing second. The searing burns across her neck and face dissipated to a weak throb, the breaks she had suffered in her knee and leg disappeared and strength returned. She knew she had been too far gone for Bo to heal her completely, and she knew that even with Kenzi and Lauren's help, that Bo would need to stop sooner than she'd like, so raising her arm she gently pushed Bo back to break the link.

As they separated she expected Bo to move further away, but instead she moaned in surprise as Bo leant down once again and drew Tamsin into a kiss. Tamsin struggled at first, expected Bo to try and offer her chi again but when she realised that Bo was kissing her just to be kissing her, she relaxed into her arms and let her own wrap around the succubus's shoulders, effectively moulding their bodies together.

Bo sighed as she reluctantly broke the kiss, all too aware that they weren't alone. Resting her forehead against Tamsins she took a deep breath, her previous fears melting away as she lost herself in the Valkyrie. When she had seen the other woman lying there, as though she had all but given up and accepted her own mortality, it had made Bo feel as though part of her was being taken away. "I am not ready to lose you yet Tamsin, okay?"

The kiss had left her speechless, a fact that she was almost surprised to admit, but staring up at Bo she had to marvel at the woman who could make her feel like her heart was beating again, in more ways than one. "Okay," she breathed not trusting herself to mutter much more than the one simple word.

"I should get the car," Lauren said muttered to herself more than anyone else, as she turned away from the scene, already making her way to the vehicle before anyone could reply.

At hearing Lauren's words Bo turned her head but she had barely moved away from Tamsin when she felt a hand on her shoulder, a hand that although loving, pulled her backwards and shoved her out of the way sending her falling backwards on to her ass. "Ouch. Kenzi!"

"Sorry, Bo-Bo," said Kenzi with little more than a vague shake of her hand in her friends direction, making Bo laugh as she wiped away the dirt that now covered her favourite jacket.

Tamsin blinked in surprise as she felt Kenzi's arms wrap around her, lifting her from her dazed post-Bo state on the floor, in to a tight almost oxygen-depriving hug. She shook away the lightheaded ness from being so abruptly pulled into a sitting position, and wrapped her own arms around Kenzi equally tightly, not caring that they were being closely watched by the other two. Burying her head against Kenzi's shoulder she could feel the other girl's body shaking, and she didn't need to see her face to know that she was crying. She was surprised to feel her own eyes well up with tears as she held Kenzi. Tamsin took a deep breath, a smile gracing her features at the familiar smell of her friend, before pulling back slightly. She took Kenzi's face between her heads, pausing to wipe away a tear. "Thank you."

Kenzi sniffed back her remaining tears; she knew Tamsin wasn't big on public displays of affection and realising she had basically thrown herself at the Valkyrie her cheeks coloured a little. "I can't let my new drinking buddy go now, can I?"

"I'm seriously Kenz," said Tamsin her eyes focused on the other woman as she smiled. "You saved my life."

"You saved mine first." Moving forward she drew the Valkyrie into another tight hug, and bringing her mouth close to Tamsin's ear she added, "I love you Lil T."

Tamsin froze at the words, her heart beating fiercely in her chest. She couldn't remember the last time she had heard those words, and wasn't sure she had even heard them sound so sincere from someone who wasn't her own family. But then, again Kenzi was her family now; her dysfunctional, entirely too complicated to explain, and very stylish family.

Kenzi cleared her throat as she pulled back, certain she had made Tamsin uncomfortable.

Tamsin allowed Kenzi to help her to her feet again, her legs were still a little shaky and she found herself leaning on the smaller girl for support. With one arm around Kenzi's shoulder Tamsin ducked her head and with a smile, her words just loud enough for her to hear, "I love you too Kenz." The words sounded so foreign to her, the weight of them unfamiliar in her mouth but seeing the way Kenzi's eyes lit up upon hearing them made Tamsin certain she would be saying them a lot more regularly. She sighed as she watched Bo rush over to them, the succubus's arm wrapping around her waist to help her towards the car, and she wondered if she would ever gain the courage to finally uttered those three small words to Bo. Turning her head she found her gaze met by Bo.

"It's okay," said Bo, her teeth catching her lower lip nervously as a slow smile lit up her features. "I've got you."


End file.
